Geelong AFLW round 2: Cats call Erica Fowler, Chantal Mason for Adelaide trip
Geelong will make at least two changes when it takes on Adelaide, with the Cats handing a former Pie a first game in hoops. Plus, Mikayla Bowen on her growing confidence.
Geelong AFLW coach Dan Lowther believes Adelaide will have a “point to prove” off the back of a rare round 1 loss, as the Cats call up two talls for their first games this year.
A calf issue has sidelined key position player Kate Darby for Sunday’s interstate clash against the Crows, with Chantal Mason set to play her second game for the club as a key forward while ruck Erica Fowler – who joined the Cats as a replacement player – will debut in hoops after playing 46 games for Collingwood.
Midfielder Bella Smith also comes in for her first game of the season.
Mason made her debut against Brisbane round 9 last season, though was later sidelined for the rest of the season with a stress feature in her foot.
“She’s done a great job over the pre-season to get herself in a position to play,” Lowther said of Mason.
Geelong have opted to omit midfielder Caitlin Thorne and winger Zali Friswell, Lowther acknowledging it was tough conversation to have with a player who had long been a consistent performer for the Cats in Friswell.
“Just the things around consistency for her, it’s a tricky position to play as an outside runner on the wing, and have involvements on the game, you have to make the most of those chances when they do come your way,” he said.
“It’s something she’s worked really hard on over a period of time … but there is a few things she needs to work out around the contest and just to use her attributes to the fullest.”
Lowther said the Cats, who are looking to rebound from its own round 1 loss to North Melbourne, were wary of a team of Adelaide’s calibre despite a 22-point loss to St Kilda last round.
“You would say that the Crows were down on their performance, over their history,” he said.
“I’m sure they’ll come out following this weekend to prove a point that that was just a bit of a blip in there in the radar.
“The Crows had 50 inside 50s (against the Saints) and didn’t score.
“That’s a threat that we need to make sure we’re prepared for – their contest work and going forward was fine.”
Bowen grows in stature
Geelong small forward Mikayla Bowen admits she felt restricted by her small size and statue in her early years in the AFLW.
But a growing confidence in her abilities and explosiveness in her seventh year in the league – and fourth with Geelong – has seen the 24-year-old’s explosive traits on full display during pre-season and last weekend’s season-opener.
Standing at 163cm, Bowen has shown capacity to defy her build, one eye-catching launch up on a marking pack during pre-season besting all other teammates’ attempts and drawing several high fives, while new teammate Emma Kilpatrick recalled her initial awe of Bowen’s intense tackling pressure considering her size.
Then there was Bowen’s ferocious attacking intent at the ball in Saturday’s round 1 loss to North Melbourne, Bowen enjoying a career-best performance in terms of numbers with 27 disposals, eight tackles, 476 metres gained and eight intercepts as she roamed between the forward line and into the midfield.
“I think often in my early days I felt I was a bit restricted in terms in the my size, and height and build as well, in terms of what I thought I could do,” Bowen said.
“I’ve been working really hard on the craft side of things, and in the gym and exploring what different aspects of the game can be, for me.
“Taking a lot of notes off the small forwards and small players in the comp – men’s and women’s – that are doing things differently, it’s not a one size fits all.
“I love being explosive on the field, whether that’s trying to get up into contests... alongside really hitting the contest hard as well, that’s something I really love doing and wanted to bring to my game more.”
For Bowen, she isn’t likely to read too much into her round 1, adding her stats hadn’t ever really been spoken about before playing on the wing, with the leader focused on doing what was best for the team heading into their round 2 interstate clash against Adelaide.
“It’s good to get the hands on the ball and feel like you can have influence, but I’ll just look to play my role again next week,” she said.
Sporting a similar role to her 2024 campaign as a high half forward, the Western Australian said she did have some license to push up and down the ground in support of the Cats’ defence.
“I read an article that said I was a winger still – I think that’s probably off the back of the game against North on the weekend, I found myself up the ground a fair bit trying to help our defence and get the ball moving further up the ground,” Bowen said.
“We have a really strong system in our group in terms of wanting to support our backs and set up the ground.
“I found myself doing that a lot and that just links up with the half forward role I’m playing at the moment.”
Cats sweat on Parry, Darby
Geelong forwards Jackie Parry and Kate Darby aren’t certainties to face Adelaide in round 2 after going down with injuries in the Cats’ AFLW season-opening loss to North Melbourne.
The Cats confirmed Darby came off the ground with soreness in her right calf in the opening quarter of their 30-point loss to the Roos, with the veteran tall failing to return to the game.
Meanwhile, Parry exited the game in the final quarter with soreness to her right knee, with staff initially assessing the 29-year-old on the sidelines.
Geelong Head of AFLW Dominique Condo confirmed Darby and Parry both underwent scans on Monday, with the Cats to have a clearer picture on both players’ availabilities for Sunday’s round 2 clash in Adelaide later this week.
Meanwhile, a knee injury continues to sideline forward Chloe Scheer indefinitely, while Shelley Scott is 5-7 weeks away from a return from a calf injury.
First-year Cats Sienna Tallariti (ankle) and Caitie Tipping (knee) are eyeing returns in 3-5 weeks.
Gabbi Featherston was a test last week after overcoming a pre-season hamstring injury but wasn’t named in the Cats’ round 1 team, with a selection squeeze also keeping the likes of first-year defender Lexi Gregor and second-year forward Chantal Mason out – though despite coach Dan Lowther said both would get their chance this season.
Gregor was one of three emergencies for round 1 alongside midfielder Bella Smith and ruck recruit Erica Fowler.
Bowie backs Cats to score
Geelong livewire Mikayla Bowen has backed the Cats and wider AFLW competition to continue to strive to showcase an attractive attacking product to viewers.
The high-half forward, who had a career-high 27 disposals against the Roos in round 1, drove much of the Cats’ offence against reigning premier North Melbourne in a round 1 loss, working up into the midfield and finishing with a game-high 476 metres gained.
But as both teams held forward half dominance in the second and third term respectively, neither could capitalise on the scoreboard – just one goal of the 11 kicked on the day scored across the middle terms in an old-fashion slog in slippery conditions.
Round 1 saw umpires also roll out several new rule changes, with a stricter interpretation of the holding the ball rule front as centre, in a bid to promote more free-flowing and higher scoring games.
Post-match, North Melbourne’s Ash Riddell said it would be a “work in progress” navigating the rule changes but added players would adjust as the season progressed, while her coach Darren Crocker believed coaches would seek clarification throughout the week on some decisions.
“I like the concept, just to keep the game alive and moving and not to much congestion, we just have to be careful we don’t go to far one way,” Crocker said.
It failed to translate into raw numbers when comparing round 1 scores of 2024 to its 2025 counterpart – an average overall score of 37.27 over the weekend down from 44.2 in round 1 last season – though games proved closer, with an average winning margin of 26.77 compared to 30.4 last year.
“I think that’s all any team can and the competition, even viewers, can hope for,” Bowen said of playing an attacking, offensive game style.
“I personally think viewing the game is more exciting when it's attacking from both sides.
“It’s a tough ask when you’ve got two high-quality teams going head-to-head trying to do the same thing.
“That’s the product of what comes out in a game like the weekend, and it’s a credit to North, they were able to hold on to that longer than we were.
“I think we were very much offensive and attacking in the first and second quarters … and it’s a credit to our backline for being able to hold on for so long when North really put the pressure on.
“ … I think the score could of been a lot worse had it not been for our backline.”
Taking the time to watch Thursday’s season-opener between Carlton and Collingwood, Bowen was confident the product on display had strengthened year-on-year – with several debutants out of last year’s first national draft also impressing across the round in a strong sign to the strengthening of talent pathways.
“I think the skill and fundamentals of the game is just progressing rapidly, which is allowing the rate of play, the game knowledge and everything that comes with the growth of the AFLW to progress really quickly,” Bowen said.
“To be able to watch both Collingwood and Carlton just carve each other up at different times, defend really well at different times, I just think the standard across the competition has really lifted.”
Round 1 also saw powerhouse inaugural clubs Adelaide and Brisbane lose their season-openers in a shake-up to the status quo, the Crows’ loss in particular an upset from St Kilda after the Saints finished 11th last year.
“Competition is exciting, it’s what everyone wants to see,” Bowen said.
“I’m a massive fan of Formula 1 and when Max Verstappen’s winning every single race, it’s boring for me – so I really hope viewers are, regardless of who is winning, everyone got their own team and wanting to see growth respectively.”
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Originally published as Geelong AFLW round 2: Cats call Erica Fowler, Chantal Mason for Adelaide trip
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